Germany confiscates tanker belonging to Russian “shadow fleet,” Spiegel reports

PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo — A German Maritime Interdiction Operations Company special forces operator conducts Visit, Board, Search and Seizure training during Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022. (U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Hamlin via U.S. Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS)) 

BERLIN (Reuters) -Germany has confiscated a decrepit tanker found adrift off its northern coast in January that is believed to be part of a shadow fleet used by Russia to circumvent oil sanctions, the Spiegel news magazine reported on Friday, citing security sources.

The Panama-flagged ship, called Eventin, was secured by German maritime authorities after being found off the Baltic Sea island of Ruegen, prompting Berlin to sharply rebuke Moscow.

Spiegel reported that a confiscation order has been issued for the tanker, meaning the vessel and its cargo of around 100,000 metric tons of oil, worth some 40 million euros ($43.33 million), now become German property.

The local customs authority and the German foreign office did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment.

Moscow has no information about the ship and no knowledge about its owner or reasons for its seizure, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday, responding to a question from Reuters. 

Eventin was included in the European Union's 16th package of sanctions targeting Russia for its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

The package aimed to put extra pressure on Russia's 'shadow fleet', referring to vessels used by Russia to move oil, arms and grains around in violation of sanctions. The vessels are not regulated or insured by conventional Western providers.

The ageing tanker, which had been travelling from Russia to Egypt, also sparked environmental concerns over a potential oil spill.

($1 = 0.9231 euros)

 (Reporting by Rachel MoreAdditional reporting by Dmitry Antonov in MoscowEditing by Frances Kerry)